Ministers 'promised amnesty before election', MP claims

The Nationalist Party is continuing to insist that the prisoners’ amnesty had been promised before the general election, with MP David Agius today suggesting that ministers Anton Refalo and Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca had personally guaranteed it.

The 100-day amnesty – which is applicable to all prisoners except those convicted of a number of crimes concerning children – was approved by the cabinet earlier this month, and was granted to mark the change in government, according to Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia.

Last week, MPs Jason Azzopardi and David Agius insisted that prisoners and their relatives had been promised by a number of Labour Party politicians that an amnesty would be granted if the party is elected to government.

The government has denied that this was the case, but the PN has stuck to its guns.

The two MPs had promised that further details would be made public in the near future, and in an appearance on Radio 101 today, Mr Agius mentioned the two ministers by name.

He asked Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to confirm or deny that Dr Refalo and Ms Coleiro Preca had promised an amnesty to prisoners, adding that two parliamentary secretaries could also have made such promises.

Mr Agius also questioned whether the amnesty was granted in line with the Labour Party’s beliefs or simply because it had been promised, adding that it was wrong for a political party to exploit vulnerable people for votes.